Seattle Housing Levy

Since 1981, Seattle voters have approved one bond and four levies to create affordable housing. Seattle has now funded over 12,000 affordable apartments for seniors, low- and moderate-wage workers, and formerly homeless individuals and families, plus provided down-payment loans to more than 600 first-time homebuyers and rental assistance to more than 4,000 households.

In November 2009, Seattle voters overwhelmingly approved the renewal of the Seattle Housing Levy. This seven-year property tax levy will expire at the end of 2016. The 2009 Housing Levy has five programs:

Rental Production & Preservation

Operating & Maintenance Fund

Rental Assistance

Homebuyer Assistance

Acquisition & Opportunity Loan Fund

To learn more about the Housing Levy, download the fact sheet or most recent annual report on the sidebar.

In preparation for a potential new levy for affordable housing in 2016, the Office of Housing is holding a number of technical and public meetings in 2015 to receive feedback on programs and priorities. Below is a list of engagement opportunities.

Planning the Next Seattle Housing Levy

Wednesday, July 22, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. (1000 Second Ave, Floor 28)

Join Seattle Office of Housing staff in a discussion of future direction for the Housing Levy. The 7-year $145 million Housing Levy expires at the end of 2016. This meeting will cover accomplishments of the current levy and OH's planning for a new levy proposal. We will share our current thinking about program direction and seek input on some of the technical issues and policy choices ahead of us. The meeting will cover three programs: rental housing production and preservation, operating and maintenance, and homeownership assistance.

Community Meeting

In early September, OH and the Seattle Human Services Department will host an information session for the general public about the Seattle Housing Levy, with opportunities to ask questions and provide input on levy priorities. This will be a good opportunity to introduce housing residents, staff, development partners, friends and neighbors to this important work.

Housing Levy Oversight Committee

With the passage of the Housing Levy, voters also approved the establishment of an oversight committee, for the purpose of monitoring the progress of Levy programs and reporting to the Mayor and City Council on that progress.

The 13 members of the Housing Levy Oversight Committee, all confirmed by City Council, are selected as follows:

one (1) City employee appointed by the City Council

six (6) non-government employees appointed by the Mayor

five (5) non-government employees appointed by City Council

The current Housing Levy Oversight Committee members include:

Maiko Winkler-Chin, Chair, Seattle Chinatown International District Public Development Authority

Hal Ferris, Vice Chair, Spectrum Development Solutions

Leslie Brinson Price, Office of Mayor Ed Murray

Vallerie Fischer, Southeast Seattle Resident

Jonathan Grant, Tenants Union of Washington State

Doug Ito, SMR Architects

Marty Kooistra, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

Tory Laughlin Taylor, Bellwether Housing

Nicole Macri, Downtown Emergency Service Center

Traci Ratzliff, City Council Central Staff

Alice Shobe, Building Changes

Josephine Tamayo Murray, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington